Contusa Persona
by Otaku Sage of Llamas
Summary: Fate intervenes and the world's greatest detective breaks down. What lies underneath the stoic surface? -Completed-
1. Intentio

**Disclaimer**: Otaku-Sage-of-Llamas does not claim to own Death Note and its characters. Rather that privilege belongs to Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata.

**Warnings**: There is AUness, OCCness, and yaoi. Also, beware of spoilers (for the anime/manga AND the Another Note novel) and the authoress' sad attempt at writing.

**Genre**: Drama/Romance

**Pairings**: implications of past BB x L (in Act II) and Raito x L

**Rating**: M

* * *

**Contusa Persona**

**by Otaku-Sage-of-Llamas**

* * *

_Act 1_

**- Intentio -**

The world's greatest detective currently stood on top of the Kira case headquarters' roof. Rain was pouring down, masking the tears that strolled down his own face. The shinigami known as Rem killed Watari and she disappeared from the earth leaving her own notebook behind on a pile of sand.

L could not bear to reveal his weakness to the other investigation members so he fled onto the roof temporarily forgetting all thoughts of Kira, justice, and his own persona of L. For this one moment, he would lose that stoic mask of himself.

Watari was a fatherly figure to the detective, which meant a lot more to him since he was an orphan. Otherwise, he had no one to look upon for support. On top of that, Raito was his only and first friend, even though he was still convinced that he is Kira. A brilliant student and a skilled actor, Raito exemplifies perfection.

"Ryuzaki," a voice brought the detective out of his musings. He turned his head to look into the honey eyes of Raito Yagami.

"A penny for you thoughts?" he commented as he approached the detective.

"That's such a cliché line, Yagami-kun."

"Well, I didn't know what else to say…Watari must have meant a lot to you," Raito said solemnly.

"He did but I can't change the past."

"Would you?" L tilted his head down causing his hear to conceal his eyes.

"No," he finally uttered after a few moments of silence. Rising his head, he looked at Raito and noticed the skin through his white shirt, now transparent. Two pale pink nubs easily stood out. For awhile, the detective had been harboring feelings for his lead suspect. Though he kept it hidden, it could easily be revealed if Raito caught onto his lustful stares and timid glances.

"Ryuzaki," the calling of his alias caused him to open the eyes that he didn't realize were closed during his trance.

"We should go inside," the younger man seem to add as an afterthought like he was trying to avoid something. Raito's auburn hair, which normally combed straight and perfect in every way, now was plastered everywhere across his face as a result of the rain.

The detective headed back inside headquarters forgetting about the presence of Raito as he left him behind in the rain as if troubled by something.

Immediately, L headed for his personal bathroom to dry himself off. He stripped down to his birthday suit with a dry pair of his usual attire nearby. L wrapped a towel around his waist while with the other he attempted to purge the water off his skin.

When the bathroom door opened, the detective nearly jumped from shock of the intrusion but instead accidentally dropped the towel that was around his waist. The intruder, whom he suspected to be Raito, now had a clear view of his entire back side.

He cursed mentally as he forgotten about the tattoo design on his back. A shiver ran through his spine when the intruder came closer and touched the design, doubtful of its existence.

"A phoenix?" the detective's suspicions were now confirmed. The head of the phoenix started between his shoulders and the body followed down his spine. Raito's finger lightly traced the path of the tattoo.

"What is it that you want, Raito-kun?" L wanted to know why the younger man invaded his privacy like that. Forgotten still was the towel that had formerly been around his waist.

"Why a phoenix?" he asked in response, purposely evading what L said.

"Raito-kun, with his intelligence, should understand its significance."

"Rebirth? I don't see how…" Raito started but was immediately cut off.

"Do you know that Watari founded an orphanage? Not an ordinary one, a place that houses gifted students. Eventually it became a place to train possible successors," the detective's face was blank of any emotions.

"To whom?"

"L," the detective let out a sigh.

"Why are you telling me this? It could compromise your safety."

"It doesn't matter anymore," Raito immediately turned the detective around to face him.

"Are you just giving up!? After everything that has happened!?" he shook the older man out of anger.

"I plan on returning there…" the detective uttered out weakly. His words were soon followed by a loud punch that echoed in the bathroom.

Raito's fist landed at the detective's face and caused him to move backwards, his head barely missing contact with the tub. Following him onto the floor was Raito, who straddled L's naked waist.

"Raito-kun, please get off me," the detective pushed at the younger man's shoulders but to no avail. Raito used all of his weight to keep the detective pinned down to the floor. The hands that resisted were easily restrained over his head by the other's hand. L tried again to escape by bucking his hips forward to only fail again.

"No! I won't let you go!" Raito yelled.

"What about all those people that died trying to bring Kira to justice? Their sacrifice would then be in vain if you give up!" he added mercilessly.

"Raito," L forgot the honorific as tears threatened to stroll down his face. For once, all of his pride was broken. Here he was, lying on the ground stripped of his clothing and the mask that hid all of his emotions.

"This isn't like you, Ryuzaki," he commented as the tears took control of the detective's face and streamed down like a waterfall. With Raito's free hand, he tried to wipe away the detective's tears with the tip of his thumb while L turned his head to the side.

Raito shifted unconsciously, creating a heated sensation to run though his body, especially affecting his lower regions. He knew that L felt the same sensation when he let out a soft gasp. The only barrier between them was Raito's dry clothes. Raito muse have changed before tracking down the detective in the bathroom.

"Get off," L yelled with a faint tint of pink on his face. But Raito held his ground. In retaliation, the detective shoved Raito with newfound strength and ran out of the bathroom without any consideration for the younger man or his own nakedness.

L fled into his bedroom and locked the door behind him so that Raito could not follow.

The remaining pieces of the mask had finally crumbled as the detective broke out into tears.

* * *

_**To be continued…**_


	2. Opacum Latus

**Disclaimer**: Otaku-Sage-of-Llamas does not claim to own Death Note and its characters. Rather that privilege belongs to Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata.

**Warnings**: There is AUness, OCCness, clichés and yaoi. Also, beware of spoilers (for the anime/manga AND the Another Note novel) and the authoress' sad attempt at writing. In this chapter, there are also spoilers for L's (with wrong pronunciation) and BB's real name!

**Genre**: Drama/Romance

**Pairings**: implications of past BB x L (in Act II) and Raito x L

**Rating**: M

* * *

**Contusa Persona**

**by Otaku-Sage-of-Llamas**

* * *

_Act 2_

**- Opacum Latus -**

After getting up from the floor of his impact, Raito attempted to find the detective but when he came upon L's personal quarters, he found the door to be locked. He let out a curse under his breath and decided to join the rest of the investigation members that were waiting in the situation room.

All but Soichiro Yagami was present, apparently Raito's father went to the hospital with Watari in case that the paramedics could revive him. As Raito approached the group, they turned their attention upon him.

"How is he?" Matsuda asked with concern.

"He locked himself in his room," Raito let out a sigh.

"I guess we have to wait and see what Ryuzaki wants to do…" Aizawa added his own thoughts.

"There is no point to stay here while Ryuzaki is grieving. How about you guys go home and I will contact you when he is ready to proceed with the case," Raito came to this decision. The other investigation members reluctantly rose up and bid Raito a good night.

* * *

…_His mirror image with glowing crimson eyes held him by the throat against the wall._

"_I will break down that mask of yours, Lawliet. Even if it costs me my own life," he whispered softly in a tone that was similar to a parent trying to soothe a child._

"_You will not win," the detective croaked out as his reflection took his free hand and stuck it into a jar of jam. He brought the fingers out and smeared it over L's face._

_As L twitched, the doppelganger cackled, "You are unable to completely hide your emotions. That will be your downfall." _

_Then he wrote, with the nearby jam, the name "Beyond Birthday" on the detective's white shirt. His other hand, untainted by jam, wandered down to L's jeans…_

* * *

L woke up out of his dream in a cold sweat. He wanted to scream out until he finally realized where he was and then remembered Watari's death.

When he went to bed last night, the detective was in so much distress that he forgot to put any clothes on and thus slept in the nude. He groaned and proceeded to change into a clean pair of his usual attire of baggy jeans and long sleeve white shirt then headed to the situation room.

But there was no one there. Maybe the investigation members decided to give him some space by staying home. While it was a thoughtful gesture, it annoyed him. The growling of his stomach quickly led him away from these thoughts.

In the kitchen, that L never entered since Watari had taken care of everything for him, the detective was greeted by the sight of Raito making breakfast. The smell of French toast and bacon invaded his senses.

"Raito-kun?" The younger man turned away from the oven to face the detective. Noticing the frilly apron that Raito wore on top of his regular clothing, L blushed but it was nothing compared to the shade of crimson that spread across the younger man's face.

"This was the only apron I could find."

"Where are the other investigation members" he asked, diverting attention from the frilly apron.

"I sent them home…until you were ready to continue the Kira case," the detective approached Ratio and pushed him against the counter located right next to the oven.

"Under whose authority?" L trapped the younger man by placing his hands on the counter by either side of him. Raito shivered unconsciously.

This was the first time the younger man saw this side of the detective. His onyx eyes gleamed with a malicious glint of crimson. Who would have thought that there was a demon inside the detective?

L reached out to touch Raito's cheek with the tips of his long fingers but as his hand got closer, Raito turned his head to the side. Angry with the younger man's defiance, the detective forcibly grabbed his neck so that now terrified honey eyes could not hide.

"The Kira case is closed. I shall be leaving for London in two days…However, you did not have the right to dismiss the investigation for the day like that," the detective moved so that he was between Ratio's legs.

"Are you some sort of control freak?"

"Possibly, I did admit that I was childish and immature…" The reddish glint in his eyes started to fade.

"So the great detective actually has flaws," Raito taunted, rubbing salt in the open wound. In response, L kneed the younger man in the stomach, his back hitting the counter before falling down to the floor.

"Don't test my patience, Raito-kun. I know that you are Kira but I lack sufficient evidence to prove your guilt," L hissed as he straddled the younger man. The food that Raito had been preparing was left forgotten and the smell of crispy bacon turned burnt.

"Tell me, Raito-kun, why?" L brought his face to the younger man.

"What are you talking about?" The once fading crimson glint returned and took over the detective's eyes. He let out an uncharacteristic chuckle, one that would be expected out of a stereotypical villain.

"Don't play dumb. You are far above that," he stretched one of his hands out and placed the palm against Raito's chest.

"Have you got what you wanted, Kira?" His palm slipped downwards, coming closer to the edge of Raito's shirt.

"I'm telling you that I'm not Kira!" The detective tilted his head to the side, a smirk present on his face. Then he slapped Raito across his face with his unoccupied hand. After the impact, Raito kept his head turned to the side.

Blood was starting to crawl out of the younger man's mouth. Not to mention that Raito still had to deal with the bruises on his back from the collision with the counter. And from the sadistic look upon L's face, he was enjoying this.

The same hand was brought up to Raito's face, not to land another blow, but rather play with the blood around Raito's face like a child. The detective brought it close to his face to examine the crimson color and he appeared to be fascinated by it. Then with those same fingers he painted across Raito's face which caused him to gasp out at the sensation.

"Sayonara, Kira," was the last thing Raito heard as his vision and all his other senses faded to darkness.

* * *

_**To be continued…**_

* * *

**Authoress' Notes**:

I didn't honestly expect the next chapter to be out so soon! Anyways, my thanks go out to those readers that reviewed, it means a lot to me.

I am so evil leaving the chapter on a cliffhanger! XD I also had a fun time writing sadistic!L. You haven't seen the last of him!

As it has been brought to my attention, yes I **know** that the pronunciation of L's last name is wrong in the later chapters. But I was rather fond of the _imagery_ brought by that pronunciation. I understand how it may annoy some but you know what, I am used to people constantly butchering my own (French) last name. It's a fact of life.

In fact, I had yet see any provide a proper pronunciation for his name with support to back their claim.


	3. Reditus Potens

**Disclaimer**: Otaku-Sage-of-Llamas does not claim to own Death Note and its characters. Rather that privilege belongs to Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata. Also, she does not claim to own any songs or video games mentioned in this fanfic.

**Warnings**: There is AUness, OCCness, clichés, violence, and yaoi. Also, beware of spoilers (for the anime/manga AND the Another Note novel) and the authoress' sad attempt at writing. In this chapter, there are also spoilers for BB's real name!

**Genre**: Drama/Romance

**Pairings**: Raito x L, implications of past BB x L (in Act II), and if you squint your eyes there is possible Mello x Matt

**Rating**: M

* * *

**Contusa Persona**

**by Otaku-Sage-of-Llamas**

* * *

_Act 3_

**- Reditus Potens -**

Since the last time that the detective was there, The Wammy's House had not changed a bit, except for the faces of the children there. Roger was shocked, to say the least, when L said over the phone that he would be returning, especially when the Kira case was unsolved. The only explanation he had given to Roger was that he needed a break and no more questions were asked.

By time he arrived in London and headed for Winchester, his eyes had returned to its dark color as the crimson glint became dormant once again. L wondered what happened to Raito as he found his own memory hazy.

The last thing he remembered was entering the kitchen where Raito was preparing breakfast. Or maybe it was just some odd illusion that his mind created. The only thing that he knew for sure that Watari was dead.

His arrival at The Wammy's House was only known to Roger as the detective wanted to surprise his possible successors: Near, Mello, and Matt.

Currently, Near held the leading position in the contest for L's successor. And the detective could not help but think how Near reminded him of himself. He possessed the same stoic onyx eyes. Also, he had a different, but unusual like him, posture. Instead of a fondness of sweets, Near was fond of toys.

Mello remained second in line and was quite the opposite to Near. Because of his emotions, Mello tended to act irrational at times unlike Near who always remained decisive and calculating. His appearance was more feminine than L or Near as his blond hair was left long and no one dared to approach Mello with scissors in fear of retaliation from the boy. Though like L, Mello possessed a fondness of sweets, particularly chocolate. The obsession was so great that the other children constantly questioned his gender.

Third in the chain was Matt. Though, he probably didn't care about it at all. Rather, he cared more for the video games that he played twenty four seven. And if someone dared to interfere, it wasn't a pretty sight. Matt's temper made Mello seem tame. The last person that interrupted Matt's precious game time ended up with a broken arm.

Roger led the detective to his room. It just so happened to be the same one that he stayed in when he previously lived at The Wammy's House. L unconsciously let out a yawn.

The detective had purposely arrived late at night so that it would not attract attention from the children as bed time was set at nine. He would properly greet them in the morning.

* * *

…_Raito was bound against a tree by the detective's doppelganger with a deep shade of red ribbon. The demon known as Beyond Birthday chuckled as he took a knife and used it to cut open Raito's shirt and pants leaving a crimson trail down the younger man's front side. _

_He followed the trail downwards with his tongue and by time he got to the end, the demon was kneeling before his victim._

_The detective could not do anything as his entire body was encased in ice. He struggled against his frozen coffin but could not break free._

_The doppelganger turned his head away from Raito to smirk at him with blood stained lips. L shuddered, not from the coldness of his coffin, but from the imagery before him. _

_Then the demon rose up and bit Raito in the neck like a vampire. Raito's normally vibrant peach toned skin turned pale as a ghost as Beyond Birthday lapped like a kitten at the oozing blood…_

* * *

…_The detective was sitting in a café with a cup of coffee and a piece of cake. An American woman in a sapphire dress with dark brown hair stood on the stage karaoking to the song "Snow White Queen" by Evanescence._

_Then he was joined by the doppelganger, who was acting like nothing was wrong._

"_How is the case going?" he asked nonchalantly._

"_I know it is you," L remarked._

"_Oh really?" The appearance of Beyond Birthday changed into Raito with a smirk still ever so present on his face. The woman's male companion came forward and started to sing "Breath" by Breaking Benjamin._

"_Wanna play a game?" The disguised demon played with the dice that had randomly appeared into his hand._

"_The stakes will be very dangerous…"_

* * *

This time when the detective arose from his sleep, there was no cold sweat like before. His dreams still haunted his mind but did not bother him as much.

Leaving his rooms, he saw Roger walking by, who bid a good morning and said that breakfast was waiting in the dining room. He was on his way to retrieve Mello and Matt, whom shared a room with each other, as they were late for breakfast and all the other children were already gathered at the dining table.

"How about I retrieve them?" L suggested.

"If you wish to…" Roger shrugged and headed back towards the direction of the dining room. Most of the children's rooms were located on the first and second floors but the employee's rooms were on the third floor. Mello and Matt stayed at the end of the second floor corridor while Near resided in a secluded section of the first floor that was close to the headmaster's office.

Arriving at Mello's and Matt's room, it was obvious that Matt at least lived in there as a poster for Kingdom Hearts was taped onto the door. Mello must not have any say in the selection of the poster as he would have likely chosen one of a chocolate bar.

The detective let out a silent amused laugh when he imagined the thought of his possible successors as adults. Indeed, that would be interesting.

L opened the door to see Mello poking at the other boy, who apparently was still sleeping, and then Mello lost his patience and screamed Matt's name. The boy awoke as if a jolt of lightning struck his body and fell over the bed landing on top of Mello.

The detective laughed out loud at the sight, which caused the two boys to turn their attention to their visitor.

"L!?" They shouted out in unison.

* * *

_**To be continued…**_

* * *

**Authoress' Notes**:

Wow, I am really on a roll with all these chapters coming out quickly! Anyways, my continued thanks go out to those readers that reviewed, it means a lot to me.

This chapter was L centric but next chapter will be focused on Raito.

As lyrics in a fic are a no-no on this site, I just mentioned the names of the songs as they are a bit important. But I am not telling you why! You just have to continue reading! XP


	4. Deprehendentur

**Disclaimer**: Otaku-Sage-of-Llamas does not claim to own Death Note and its characters. Rather that privilege belongs to Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata. Also, she does not claim to own any songs or video games mentioned in this fanfic.

**Warnings**: There is AUness, OCCness, clichés, violence, and yaoi. Also, beware of spoilers (for the anime/manga AND the Another Note novel) and the authoress' sad attempt at writing. In this chapter, there are also spoilers for BB's real name!

**Genre**: Drama/Romance

**Pairings**: Raito x L, implications of past BB x L (in Act II), and if you squint your eyes there is possible Mello x Matt

**Rating**: M

* * *

**Contusa Persona**

**by Otaku-Sage-of-Llamas**

* * *

_Act 4_

**- Deprehendentur -**

When Raito's mind finally returned to the realm of the living, he had the urge to kill the detective for what he did. Though, he soon realized that L had probably arrived at London. As he rose off the kitchen floor, the smell of burnt breakfast lingering in the air, he headed for the situation room still in pain in order to first find out what day it was before deciding what to do next.

After all, the detective had just abandoned the Kira case that remained unsolved. Well, it remained unsolved for L at least, even though the detective was sure that it was him. All he needed was evidence but Raito was not going to become careless now, even if L was gone, in case someone else decided to take the Kira case into their own hands.

Raito's only liability was Misa, who held an unhealthy obsession for him. However, since Rem turned into sand, he would be free to kill her off. Though, he would have to wait in order to avoid any suspicion.

The clock on the computer informed Raito that two days went by since he was knocked out cold. It was hard to believe that he was out for so long and yet he had no serious injuries to his head. Although, Raito felt a burning sensation in his neck so he headed for the bathroom to check it out.

There were no markings that would indicate that he was injured on his neck. Perhaps, his mind was trying to fool him into believing that something there.

"I should inform the remaining investigation members of what is going on," Raito muttered to himself. He returned to the situation room and pulled out his cell phone. The first person Raito called was his father to also ensure him that he was still alive since he was unable to call while unconscious.

"Yagami residence," a deep male voice picked up that Raito recognized.

"Father?"

"Oh, Raito, it is you. How are things at headquarters?" his father asked.

"A disaster," he was blunt. "Ryuzaki has left Japan and given up on the Kira case."

"What!?" Soichiro shouted, "That isn't like Ryuzaki."

"Ever since Watari died, it is like he is not the same person anymore," Raito said neglecting to give details to explain on how exactly the detective changed.

"When did he leave?"

"I presume he left while I was sleeping as when I woke up he was gone," Raito lied smoothly.

"Do you have any idea where he went?"

""I think he mentioned London once…"

"I wonder…" his father muttered.

"What is it?"

"Well, when the newspaper released about Watari's death. It turns out that his real name was Quilish Wammy and he was inventor that founded an orphanage in Winchester. I'm wondering if Ryuzaki went there…"

"You may be right…"

* * *

After shouting out the detective's alias, Mello and Matt rushed towards his direction and ran into his body with all their excitement causing L to fall over onto his back with the boys' weight crushing his body on the ground.

"Okay," L laughed, "I know how excited you are to see me but let's get some breakfast before you start pouring me with questions." The boys nodded their heads as they rose off the detective. Then they ran out of their room and into the direction of the dining room.

In five minutes, L caught up with Mello and Matt in the dining room and upon his entrance, he heard gasps echoing through the room and saw the jaws of children dropping while Roger attempted to calm the children down.

* * *

"What are we going to do?" Soichiro let out a sigh.

"I am going to find Ryuzaki wherever he is in Winchester and bring him back," Raito spoke in a serious tone.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I am," he ended the conversation with that. Though his father did not know that it was all a façade about wanting to bring Ryuzaki back but Raito needed an excuse to go off and take care of business. Revenge would never be as sweet as this. A smirk formed onto Raito's face.

* * *

Twenty minutes after breakfast was finished at The Wammy's House, the detective headed for Near's room so that he could talk with the boy individually. His room was untidy as usual. Various toys of action figures to cards to dominos were spread out across the room.

"Why did you leave the Kira case?" Near asked as the detective closed the door behind him.

"How did you know?"

"You aren't the same anymore…what changed?" L looked down in disgrace.

"Why do you think that?"

"Your face…particularly your eyes…" Near started solemnly but was cut off as Roger burst though the door, panting heavily.

"L! We have an emergency!" he cried out.

"What happened?" the detective asked, sounding very worried.

"Linda had a heart attack!"

"What!?" the detective shouted and added to himself, "But it can't be Kira…Kira does not know any of the children here…" L was clearly panicking at the thought.

"It might be someone in the inside," Near added as L turned his head towards the boy.

"Where's her body?" the detective asked.

"The paramedics already took care of it," Roger uttered softly. Tears started to form around his eyelids as he was reminded of Watari's death.

"…And I found this note close to where her body was located," Roger handed the detective the paper that he pulled out his pocket.

The note read: "_Salve, L. Quidne scis est verus in memoria tua_?"

"It is in Latin," L looked up at Roger. The only person that the detective believed to know about The Wammy's House and proficient at Latin besides himself was Beyond Birthday. His hands shook in fear and small tremors ran down his spine.

The detective could only think that the spirit of Beyond Birthday was haunting him. He thought that after the Los Angeles murder case, it was done for good. The last time he remembered seeing his doppelganger in person was at that LA café where he approached the detective with a little wager.

However, L had no memory of what happened after the demon said, "the stakes will be very dangerous".

* * *

_**To be continued…**_

* * *

**Omake**:

**Cibi Furtivi**

_Part I_

"L! We have an emergency!" Roger cried out as he burst into Near's room unannounced.

"What happened?" the detective asked in a worried tone as he clutched onto his favorite Raito plushie as Near gave him an odd look.

"Someone stole all the food!" L dropped to his knees sobbing.

"Nooo!" he screamed, "I can't survive without my precious cakes!"

"Why don't we track down the culprit?" Near suggested.

"What a brilliant idea! To the kitchen!"

"And he is supposed to be a genius?" Near muttered under his breath.

At the kitchen, the group discovered a trail of cake crumbs, which L tested to clarify his theory, leading in the direction of the stairs. On the tops of the second floor stairs, the path led to Mello's and Matt's room. The detective kicked open the door with his awesome kung fu skills.

Inside, the food was sprawled across the carpeting. Matt was nowhere in sight but Mello was laid across his bed sleeping with chocolate bars covering his body.

"What the hell is going on!?" Mello woke up immediately. His eyes widened as he saw the furious detective standing before him.

"I swear I didn't do it! It had to be Kira!" The detective's onyx eyes narrowed…

* * *

**Authoress' Notes**:

My longest chapter yet! Probably because of the omake! Anyways, my continued thanks go out to those readers that reviewed, it means a lot to me.

Well, this chapter turned out not being Raito-centric. Oh well.

**

* * *

**

**Translation**:

**Latin**: Salve, L. Quidne scis est verus in memoria tua?

**English**: _(Loose Translation)_ Greetings, L. Do you know what is real in those memories of yours?


	5. Praeteritum Tempus Fodietur

**Disclaimer**: Otaku-Sage-of-Llamas does not claim to own Death Note and its characters. Rather that privilege belongs to Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata.

**Warnings**: There is AUness, OCCness, clichés, violence, and yaoi. Also, beware of spoilers (for the anime/manga AND the Another Note novel) and the authoress' sad attempt at writing. In this chapter, there are also spoilers for L's real name!

**Genre**: Drama/Romance

**Pairings**: Raito x L and implications of past BB x L (in Act II)

**Rating**: M

* * *

**Contusa Persona**

**by Otaku-Sage-of-Llamas**

* * *

_Act 5_

**- Praeteritum Tempus Fodietur -**

After a little investigation, considering that he was very skilled with a computer, Raito discovered where exactly was Watari's orphanage located at. It was called The Wammy's House, after Watari's real last name.

Currently, Raito was in the midst of planning a flight to London. He would not let Ryuzaki get away for what he did. His best chance was to seduce the detective and lure him into a deadly trap. Not even that demonic side to L would stop him.

Meanwhile, his father informed the other investigation members about the truth, or what Soichiro believed to be true as Raito's lying skills could fool anybody, of Ryuzaki's mysterious disappearance.

* * *

After the commotion concerning Linda's death, L returned to his room. He paced across the bedroom, never stopping his rapid movements. 

"L," Roger called out from the other side of the door.

"It's all my fault!" he broke down onto his knees sobbing.

"Don't say that," he said to comfort the detective.

"But I…" L stopped speaking when he raised his head upwards and his onyx eyes looked right back at him in the full view mirror besides the bed. The tears caused his pale face to shine under the lighting, giving off an angelic aura.

The image startled him and so he moved forward to smash the mirror with his fist. It shattered into tiny pieces, some of which left cuts across his arm.

"L!" Roger called out and banged on the door concerned as he was unable to enter as the door was locked.

"I'm a failure!" the detective whispered to himself. The memories of his childhood and the story of his life stirred in the back of his mind and replayed themselves like a movie inside of his own eyes.

* * *

His father was a European police officer that possessed a mixture of British and French blood. Stationed at Paris, he fell in love with a former prostitute of Japanese heritage. She assured the man that she came to France to start with a clean slate and that she intended to keep it that way. And he believed her… 

Sympathetic, the police officer took her into his humble home. After all, he did not have much company except for the neighborhood cats that he often took care of. They made proper introductions to each other, first revealing their names.

The man introduced himself as Jean-Paul Lawliet but he commonly went just by Lawliet or any sort of nickname off of it. The woman smiled at him and said that she would call him "Lawli" but would pronounce it as the first two syllables of the word "lollipop" rather than say "low" and part of "light".

He laughed at the new nickname, his sapphire eyes shining in happiness. The woman then introduced herself as Meimuko. Lawliet noticed how her gorgeous red lips really brought out her smile. The make up around her onyx eyes was not as pronounced, giving off a natural look.

And several weeks later, they discovered that Meimuko was pregnant. The police officer was absolutely thrilled at the news while the soon to be mother hid any possible regret under a bright smile.

During her pregnancy, she seemed to regress, causing alarm to arise in her lover. After taking Meimuko to the doctor's office, Lawliet discovered that she had not been eating properly for the baby and somehow gotten into a drug addiction. He became irate for her lack of concern for their unborn child but he was unable to obtain any answers from her.

The doctor suggested numerous solutions, including rehab, but she outright refused to go. She stayed stubborn even all the way to Halloween day when she finally gave birth to a boy. At first, the doctor thought that the baby was dead since it did not cry, but after pinching the child they were relieved to find him alive as he let out a small whimper.

When the nurse asked if the mother wanted to hold the newborn, she refused to even look at the child. However, Lawliet did not act the same way but instead embraced the baby in his arms. To his disappointment, it appeared that the baby inherited only his mother's looks but the shape of his eyes was more European like his father.

Soon the doctor came in and informed him that the mother and newborn needed to stay overnight. Lawliet was reluctant to leave them behind but he had no other choice in the matter.

Returning the next day, Lawliet was angry, but not so surprised, to find that his lover had fled from the hospital during the night. The doctor also informed Lawliet that the baby would need a surrogate mother to provide milk that contained nutrients all babies need as the real mother went missing. He panicked until he remembered that his close friend's daughter recently gave birth to a boy.

Lawliet called up Quilish, an inventor that lived in Winchester, and he said that his daughter would be happy to help. So the next day, Lawliet flew over to England.

A young woman possessing long light brown hair greeted him at the front door of the house. She smiled warmly as Quilish meanwhile appeared behind his daughter.

"It's been a long time, friend," Quilish moved forward and hugged Lawliet, being mindful of the newborn in his arms.

"And who's this?" He leaned down to be eye level with the child.

"I haven't named him yet…"

"Really? Then how did you leave the hospital without a proper birth certificate?" he asked.

"Well…I told you how the mother went missing and I didn't have any of her information to fill out," Lawliet tipped his head down in remorse.

"It will be alright," Quilish patted Lawliet's back gently.

"I'm Lisa," the woman stepped forward and extended her hand in greeting, "I only had Seth a month ago." Lawliet took a closer look at the child in her arms. He was shocked to see that the boy had dark hair like his own son but this child had deep crimson eyes. The color sent a small shiver down his spine.

* * *

_**To be continued…**_

**

* * *

**

**Authoress' Notes**:

Anyways, you must assume that Watari told L about his parents when he grew up and what they were like before he was born. L's past will continue into next chapter, whenever that comes out…

Over 1,200 hits! (authoress faints) My thanks go to everyone, especially reviewers!


	6. Primus Motus

**Disclaimer**: Otaku-Sage-of-Llamas does not claim to own Death Note and its characters. Rather that privilege belongs to Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata.

**Warnings**: There is AUness, OCCness, clichés, violence, and yaoi. Also, beware of spoilers (for the anime/manga AND the Another Note novel) and the authoress' sad attempt at writing. In this chapter, there are also spoilers for BB's and L's real name!

**Genre**: Drama/Romance and a tad bit of Humor

**Pairings**: Raito x L, one-sided Misa x Raito, and implications of past BB x L

**Rating**: M

* * *

**Contusa Persona**

**by Otaku-Sage-of-Llamas**

* * *

_Act 6_

**- Primus Motus -**

Lawliet finally decided to name his son L by copying the single letter name concept from Mr. T. Quilish merely raised his eyebrow while Lisa laughed when he finally told them.

They became like a family until that fateful day…Quilish had taken the two five year old boys out to the park to play. When they returned, Quilish found the body of his friend on the floor of the living room. A puddle of blood surrounded Lawliet's body.

Terrified, Quilish screamed his daughter's name but received no answer. He searched the entire house until he found Lisa's body on her bed. Pulling back the sheets, Quilish saw a crimson puddle, now causing him to break out into tears.

A minute later, Quilish gathered up the strength to call the police and sure enough they arrived in fifteen minutes with a hearse in tow. The detectives conducted a thorough search inside the house while a police officer, whom so happened to be a colleague of Lawliet, talked with Quilish about the murder.

Soon, Quilish realized that he would be unable to handle the two children all by himself and so he decided to take them to The Wammy's House, an orphanage that he founded a year ago. And that same day of arriving at the orphanage, the one known as Watari was born.

* * *

When the detective woke up, he found himself lying across the floor amongst broken glass shards. He had not realized that he fell asleep while thinking about the past. Looking down, L noticed that the cuts on his arm were now faint but still painful scars.

He headed towards the bathroom in order to cleanse himself from all his sorrows. As the hot water poured out of the shower head, L stood firmly underneath. The burning sensation that ran across his skin, from contact with the water, reminded him that he is alive.

He raised his hands towards the source of the downpour, disregarding how the hot water agitated his wounds. Lowering his head, the water soothed the ever present phoenix on his back and he was reminded of the sensation of Raito's fingers trailing across it. Then, the detective wrapped his once stretched out arms protectively around him.

* * *

Raito thought it was best to visit Misa before his flight to London. Not that he wanted to but rather he found it necessary as he did not want Misa to ruin his wonderful plans.

And so, Misa was enthusiastic to say the least when she saw her beloved boyfriend, as so she believed, at the front door of her apartment. When Misa noticed the faint markings of a bruise across Raito's face, she freaked out.

"Who would hit my Raito like that!?" Misa reached out to rub the opposite side of his face.

"Misa," he grabbed the caring wrist. "I will be going to England for a while."

"Really?" she squealed, "Am I coming with you!?" Raito sighed at her reaction.

"I'm sorry…but I need to go alone."

"But why?" Misa pouted.

"Watari may be dead…but Ryuzaki is still alive…at least physically," Raito added the latter thought at last minute as he remembered the mental state of the detective after Watari died.

"Huh? But wasn't Rem supposed to kill him?"

"Yeah, she was," he mumbled but coherent enough for Misa to hear. The rest of Raito's conversation with Misa consisted of explaining why she could not go with him, while avoiding the fact the detective would be there.

He did not want Misa to get a hold of his scheme as she would probably not comprehend the situation entirely. Most likely, with her lack of intelligence, she would think that he loved the strange detective. Raito shook his head at the thought.

And at 1:35 pm, he boarded the plane that would become the first move in his sweet revenge.

* * *

After the detective's shower and changing into cleaning clothing, he made his way towards Roger's office. Roger looked up from the paperwork on his desk to his visitor. L perched himself on a chair in front of his desk, gnawing on his thumb at the same time.

"This isn't the work of Kira," he said confidently to Roger, whom nodded in response.

"Do you have an idea who is behind this?" he asked.

"…Beyond Birthday," the detective muttered, barely masking his dislike for said person.

"I see…" Roger said vaguely as he was reminded of the intense rivalry that existed between the two boys while growing up, it made the tension between Mello and Near seem tame.

Beyond Birthday was weirder than L, even at a young age. He was obsessed with the detective, coming close to violating his body at one point but Roger managed to arrive in time to stop the other boy, and always ranted on about the Graeco-Roman myth of Narcissus.

"What are you going to do?"

"First, I need some time to think over the entire scenario then we will proceed from there…" The detective planned on locking himself in his room while developing all the possibilities concerning his doppelganger and Linda's death. Then, he would create a plan to counteract him.

* * *

_**To be continued…**_

* * *

**Authoress' Notes**:

This was a short chapter but the next should be longer. My thanks go to everyone, especially reviewers!

In next chapter, Raito finally arrives at his destination…


	7. Hospes

**Disclaimer**: Otaku-Sage-of-Llamas does not claim to own Death Note and its characters. Rather that privilege belongs to Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata.

**Warnings**: There is AUness, OCCness, clichés, violence, and yaoi. Also, beware of spoilers (for the anime/manga AND the Another Note novel) and the authoress' sad attempt at writing.

**Genre**: Drama/Romance and a tad bit of Humor

**Pairings**: Raito x L and implications of past BB x L

**Rating**: M

* * *

**Contusa Persona**

**by Otaku-Sage-of-Llamas**

* * *

_Act 7_

**- Hospes -**

Three days went by and Raito finally found himself at the front doors of The Wammy House in Winchester. The scenery of England was beautiful but Raito had to remind himself that he did not come here for sightseeing. Raito knocked on the front door to be greeted by a middle aged woman wearing glasses.

"How may I help you?" she asked politely.

"Is L…home?" Raito said smoothly as the woman's eyes widened in shock.

"Your name?"

"Raito Yagami."

"Please wait here," the woman kept the door half opened as she walked further into the house and shouted, "Roger!"

Soon, Raito saw from the gap in between the doorframes that an elderly man now stood next to the woman. They exchanged a few words as the man known as Roger made his way towards Raito.

"Hello, I don't know how you found this place but L is not here," Raito wanted to yell out, 'Bullshit!' at the old man but decided against it.

"Are you sure? L personally told me that he would be here," both the woman's and Roger eyes opened even wider at the youth's last statement.

"I'm sorry but…" Roger started but was interrupted by the voice of another man that sounded familiar.

"What is going on here, Roger?" The man turned around to face the new presence and Raito got a clear view of the person. His suspicions were confirmed as it was no other than the detective himself.

"Ryuzaki," Raito called as the detective moved towards him.

"Raito-kun, what are you doing here?" His onyx eyes narrowed and Raito wondered if the demonic side of L was going to come out in front of these other people.

"You can't just abandon the Kira case!" Raito raised his voice.

"Why do you care so much? Why do you keep bringing it up?" the older man asked angrily.

"You promised, L, to send Kira to his death!" he grabbed the collar of the detective's white shirt. The woman and Roger made a move forward but were told by L to stay put.

"Alright, let's make a deal," a smirk appeared on L's face.

"What is it?"

"I will give you a case to solve, if you resolve it in a certain time span, then I will resume the Kira investigation. If not, you will return to Japan and forget about the Kira case. How does that sound?"

"Fine," the detective extended his hand and Raito readily shaked it.

"Please follow me and I will tell you the details of the case," L turned around to face the doorway which had been cleared of the woman and Roger while he was finishing his sentence.

The younger man was led to a bedroom where he was asked to sit upon the pale blue sheets of the bed. Meanwhile, the detective pulled up a nearby chair next to the bed.

"The other day, a child here at The Wammy's House died of a heart attack," Raito's eyes widened at the mention of a heart attack.

"Then, I received a note written in Latin taunting me. Your task is to find the culprit."

"That's it? Is that all the information you are going to tell me?" Raito asked.

"I will provide what details I can but you will be the one that has to solve it…Also, I am completely sure that the culprit is not Kira," Raito nodded his head in agreement.

"So, what room will I be staying in?" A low humming noise emerged from the detective.

"The first two floors are the children's quarters and I doubt that you would want to stay on the same floor as them. However, all the third floor rooms for employees are taken," L stated.

"Then we have to share a room, again?"

"I'm afraid so," L was obviously not fazed by the notion of sharing his bed once again while Raito groaned at the situation. At least, this time he did not have to worry about being handcuffed to the detective.

* * *

The sound of water running woke Raito up in the morning. He stretched out but stopped when he felt a sticky sensation underneath his pajama pants. Raito let out a sound of disgust.

Rising off the bed, Raito went over to knock on the bathroom door to find out how much longer the detective intended on being there. Unexpectedly, the door opened revealing the detective, who managed to throw on his clothes effortlessly in seconds even though his hair was still wet.

"Yes, Raito-kun?" L asked as he caught him blushing.

"Sorry," Raito said awkwardly, "I just wanted to know how much longer you would be in the shower…because I wanted to take a quick shower."

"Is it really that urgent?" The detective smirked as Raito shifted uncomfortably, noticing the hesitation from moving his weight from one foot onto the other. The blush on his face deepened.

"Do you need some help…" Raito's jaw dropped at the detective, "…with getting some clean clothes?" L finished his sentence and Raito felt like an idiot for taking his words the wrong way.

* * *

Leaving the bathroom, Raito found a typed note lying on top of the oak dresser. Underneath the note was a white long sleeve shirt and jeans, the detective's usual outfit. Raito groaned, wondering what happened to his clothes that he had brought with him.

The note told him that breakfast would be in the dining room on the first floor and he could get to know the various children, particularly the possible candidates for his successor.

On the first floor, it took Raito twenty minutes to find the dining room after accidently walking into numerous children bedrooms. The detective sat at one end of the large table with an empty chair next to him while on the opposite side sat Roger and the woman.

Raito assumed that the empty seat was for him and sat down there, unwillingly next to the detective. He unintentionally, or so he convinced himself, glared at all the children that were staring at him as he blushed for wearing the detective's clothes.

"Good morning, Raito-kun," L said as he placed five more sugar cubes into his coffee.

"What happened to my clothes? I searched everywhere in the room and they were nowhere to be found," Raito barely held back the anger in his voice.

"Your clothes got dirty and so they are currently being cleaned in the washer," he took a sip of the sugar filled coffee.

"And how did my clothes get dirty?"

"Somehow, I accidentally spilled tea over you clothes," Raito glared at the detective. It was childish…L was probably paying him back for following him to England when the detective clearly did not want to be bothered. Raito decided not to antagonize L even more this time by replying with some witty remark and instead kept quiet.

"Anyways," L rose up from his seat and spoke to the children, "This is Raito Yagami," he gestured with his hand to the younger man sitting next to him.

"Raito will be staying here for awhile as he helps me with the investigation into Linda's unfortunate death," the detective sat back down into his seat.

"How do you know him?" asked one of the older boys, a close friend of Linda.

"I was helping him with the Kira case," Raito answered for L.

"Really!?" A girl that somewhat reminded Raito of Misa shouted out, "But you look so young!" Raito frowned, feeling insulted by someone who was probably half his age.

"She does not mean it like that, Raito-kun," the detective said, noticing his solemn face.

"And how old are you?"

"Twenty six," he took another sip of his coffee as Raito's eyes widened.

"Y-you got to be kidding me!" Raito stuttered, being not so articulate for once.

"Why?"

"…But you look younger," he muttered, feeling embarrassed yet again for his ignorance to the detective's real age.

"I guess I should take that as a compliment," L said unfazed by Raito's words.

"Ryuzaki," Raito called out as the detective shook his head.

"No, call me L," he spoke frigidly.

* * *

_**To be continued…**_

* * *

**Authoress' Notes**:

I _might _do an omake for a certain scene in this chapter for Valentine 's Day. My thanks go to everyone, especially reviewers!

In next chapter, Raito starts investigating and he finally has a talk with one of The Wammy's House's children…


	8. Promovens

**Disclaimer**: Otaku-Sage-of-Llamas does not claim to own Death Note and its characters. Rather that privilege belongs to Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata.

**Warnings**: There is AUness, OCCness, clichés, and yaoi. Also, beware of spoilers (for the anime/manga AND the Another Note novel) and the authoress' sad attempt at writing.

**Genre**: Drama/Romance and a tad bit of Humor

**Pairings**: Raito x L and implications of past BB x L

**Rating**: M

* * *

**Contusa Persona**

**by Otaku-Sage-of-Llamas**

* * *

_Act 8_

**- Promovens -**

Once breakfast was finished, which Raito had stayed pretty quiet for the rest of the time, L led him around the first floor until they arrived at a library.

"There are various books of fiction and non-fiction. However, the section that you would want to go through is the records section, which contains detailed information about all the children that have lived here and currently are," he handed Raito a small gold key out of the back pocket of his jeans.

"Don't lose it, only the adults here are given a key to the record section," L said as he left the library for Raito to start his investigation.

* * *

Hours later, L returned to the library where Raito sat at a table with a pile of books and files.

"Have you found anything yet, Raito-kun?" the detective asked as he placed a lollipop, cherry flavored, in his mouth.

"It's hard finding any relevant information when I know little about the case," Raito sighed while L came closer so that he stood behind the younger man.

"Do you want to take a break? I promised that I would let you meet my successors."

"Didn't I see them at breakfast?" Raito thought of the only two children that did not ask him or L any questions during breakfast. The detective had said that their names were Mello and Near, which were obviously an alias just like L was for the detective.

"Yes but you haven't really been able to talk to them," L moved to the doorway of the library, expecting Raito to follow.

* * *

Onyx eyes, strikingly similar to the detective's, silently greeted him before the boy turned his attention to the toys he had laid about before him on the floor. He took a model airplane into his right hand and lifted it above his head pretending it was in flight.

"This is Near," L said to Raito avoiding the fact that the boy was ignoring him.

"What is your purpose, Raito Yagami?" the boy said softly, looking straight into honey eyes.

"Of what?" Raito replied, unsure of what Near meant.

"…of being here, of course," Near retorted condescendingly as if his words had been clear as day.

"Are you saying that there is something wrong with my presence here?" his eyes narrowed.

"Weren't you under suspicion by L of being Kira?"

"Near, that's enough!" L shouted and the boy turned his attention away from Raito to the detective.

"Why?" Near said, not raising his voice once. He placed the model plane he was playing with on the ground and took up a stack of tarot cards from underneath his bed. His hands shuffled the cards.

"You are hiding something, L." Near stopped his hand movements and pulled out the top card with the tips of his fingers. The detective turned around to face the door and left the room without another word, leaving Raito behind with Near. Raito noticed that the boy appeared to be unaffected by the departure of his mentor from the room.

An awkward silence remained until Near finally spoke up," I will find the truth about you." Honey eyes deepened to auburn and gleamed with an unusual crimson glint at the boy. It was unusual in the way that the detective was normally the one to bear such a malicious glint when the demon inside came out. Shaking his head to clear out his evil thoughts, Raito left the room to search for the detective.

At the same time, Near pulled out The Death card from the tarot deck. A faint smirk formed at the edge of his mouth which went unnoticed by Raito.

* * *

After thirty minutes, Raito gave up on tracking down L and instead decided to continue with his investigation. Finding relevant information was like finding a needle in a haystack and the detective had insisted that he would have to figure it out on his own.

Raito had rise to challenge but he didn't realize it would be this hard.

* * *

Sighing himself out of his daydreams, Raito focused his attention down on the file in his hand. The former student of the Wammy's House was called Beyond Birthday…

…and out of all the files he looked at so far, the only one to have known Latin.

Sirens rang in his head as he remembered L mentioning that the culprit sent a note in Latin. This could be the one!

But, he realized that he would still need proof to convince the detective.

Raito took a closer look at the file. There was an evaluation sheet where he saw the scribbles of very messy handwriting. All he could decipher was the name of the Los Angeles city.

Disappointed, Raito sighed and took the file back with him to the bedroom. There, the detective was sound asleep upon the bed. At the foot of the bed sat a blue hamper with Raito's clothes nicely folded in it.

* * *

_**To be continued…**_

* * *

**Authoress' Notes**:

As always, I want to thank those that take their time to read and/or review my fanfic. It is much appreciated!

And please forgive me for updating so late! I have been terribly busy but now I got the major projects of the school year done, I should be good to go.

Also, I had a hard time writing this chapter because I wasn't really interested in it…even though it's necessary. Sorry, if the words sound….forced…I don't know how else to describe it. Hopefully, the next chapter will be better.

If all goes according to plan, there are only two more chapters and an epilogue to go.

_Nota Bene_: A cookie goes to those that can find the subtle references to the Death Note oneshot manga special in this chapter. (Hint: There's two)

In next chapter, another heart attack! And Raito is left to figure out why this is all happening.


	9. Certamen Superatur

**Disclaimer**: Otaku-Sage-of-Llamas does not claim to own Death Note and its characters. Rather that privilege belongs to Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata.

**Warnings**: There is AUness, OCCness, clichés, mild cursing, and yaoi. Also, beware of spoilers (for the anime/manga AND the Another Note novel) and the authoress' sad attempt at writing.

**Genre**: Drama/Romance and a tad bit of Humor

**Pairings**: Raito x L and implications of past BB x L

**Rating**: M

* * *

**Contusa Persona**

**by Otaku-Sage-of-Llamas**

* * *

_Act 9_

**- Certamen Superatur -**

Raito was roused from his slumber at five o'clock in the morning by someone violently shaking his shoulders. In his unconscious state, he merely turned over and said sleepily, "Leave me 'lone". The person was not satisfied, letting out a low growl and proceeded to push him out of the bed.

Fully awake, Raito looked up to see L sitting on top of the bed, panting heavily. His forehead was covered in beads of sweat.

"What's wrong?" he asked, concerned for the detective.

"Roger has just informed me…that Matt died of a heart attack," L spoke in a coarse voice.

"Wasn't he third in line for becoming your successor?" Raito recalled the red headed boy with goggles that was obsessed with video games.

With his hand trembling, L gave Raito a folded note. He unfolded it and saw that the message on it was written in some sort of dark red ink…Analyzing it closer, Raito ruled out blood since it wasn't quite dark enough. Upon closer observation of the "ink", he found it to be strawberry flavored jam.

Then, Raito actually read the note in his hand which said, "_Tui alii successors sunt proximi_!"

"What does it say?" Raito asked the detective, figuring he knew Latin since L was able to decipher the first note that he had received.

"'_Your other successors are next_'!" L spoke softly.

"I guess the girl was just a warning since she wasn't in the running as a successor, right?" the detective merely nodded in response.

"I think the culprit owns a Death Note. There's no other way that this can be happening," Raito reasoned.

"Do you have any suspects?" L asked, almost reluctantly. "You are starting to run out of time."

"…Not yet, I still need some more information," he replied dishonestly.

"However, I think he may have the Shinigami Eyes."

"I see," he said, reminded that it was the Eyes which Shinigami possess to see a human's name and that's how Rem got Watari.

* * *

"Good evening, Mr. Yagami. How may I help you?" Roger said as Raito entered his office. He had waited until the whole ordeal with Matt was settled down before visiting Roger as he would be very busy as he was the one running the Wammy's House.

"I found the file of a former student by the name of Beyond Birthday but there wasn't much information about him compared to the others…" he placed the file on top of Roger's desk and took a seat in one of the chairs placed in front of the desk.

"Beyond Birthday was the culprit of the LABB murder case in Los Angeles…and soon after he went missing," Roger hesitantly revealed.

"So he could very well be alive?" Roger tipped his head downwards in shame and sighed.

* * *

"You only have a day left, Raito-kun," L reminded the other man one morning as Raito headed for the shower.

"Aren't you worried about the Mello and Near? I wouldn't take that threat lightly."

"What do you think?" Raito was surprised when a pair of hands moved beside each of side of his head on the wall. His eyes narrowed as he finally realized that the demon was the one in control at the moment. He gasped as a leg was thrust in between his own, creating a delicious friction through their clothing. The crimson eyed demon purred at the contact.

"You should stop fucking around with me!" Raito snarled when he recovered from a brief relapse of out of characterness.

"How so?" he tilted his head to the side, purposely trying to annoy the younger man by hinting something completely different than what he meant.

Furious, Raito incoherently muttered to himself and pushed at the demon's shoulders trying to break free from being restrained against the wall. However, his wrists were seized by pale hands and his body made impact with the cold floor with a harsh shove to his back. The demon followed, straddling the lower end of Raito's back.

"Kira," the voice of the demon whispered into his left ear.

"You know what? I think you abandoned the Kira case because you didn't want to admit that you have an unhealthy obsession with Kira!" Raito shouted.

"Oh?" The demon let out an amused laugh.

"And I think you would like nothing more than dominating Kira. You said it yourself that you are a control freak." The laugh stopped immediately as Raito finished his sentence. Then he had a cold metal feeling against his neck.

The demon had actually taken a knife out on him!

Raito started to panic, things have never gotten this bad before. In order to not provoke the demon further, he ceased any struggling.

The demon's free hand made its way towards Raito's torso, unbuttoning his long sleeve shirt. Once finished his ministrations, the top was removed as it was causally tossed to the side leaving the skin bare. Lips attached itself to his left earlobe, sucking, licking, and nipping at it as the hand crept towards his pants. Raito let out a load moan, the pressure of the knife against his throat lessened.

The mouth detached itself from his ear and blew at it, causing a shiver to go down Raito's spine. That long talented tongue lead a wet trail down to his neck where his teeth sank down into unmarred skin.

"Ah!" Raito gasped as the demon bit down harder intending on leaving a mark. When the temporarily forgotten hand grabbed his groin harshly underneath his pants, Raito cried out and rose his back off the floor. Immediately, the demon let go of his neck, the skin now a deep red color, and pushed him back down with his other hand after placing the knife out of the younger's man reach.

"Just admit that you lost the bet," the demon growled.

"No!" Raito shouted, "I know the truth!"

* * *

_**To be continued…**_

* * *

**Authoress' Notes**:

Well, I decided that I couldn't wait until next week to post this chapter. :)

As always, I want to thank those that take their time to read and/or review my fanfic. It is much appreciated!

Next chapter, the conclusion to Contusa Persona (don't forget that there will also be an epilogue)! The true victor of the bet is revealed and a chilling ending.


	10. Finis

**Disclaimer**: Otaku-Sage-of-Llamas does not claim to own Death Note and its characters. Rather that privilege belongs to Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata.

**Warnings**: There is AUness, OCCness, clichés, mild cursing, and yaoi. Also, beware of spoilers (for the anime/manga AND the Another Note novel) and the authoress' sad attempt at writing.

**Genre**: Drama/Romance and a tad bit of Humor

**Pairings**: Raito x L

**Rating**: M

* * *

_Get your handkerchiefs ready, this is sure going to be one hell of a short ride! And as for my dear anonymous reviewer, the answers to your question will start to form in this chapter and be solidified in the epilogue. I am glad that you paid close attention to the details. ;)_

* * *

**Contusa Persona**

**by Otaku-Sage-of-Llamas**

* * *

_Act 10_

**- Finis -**

"Oh? What truth are you talking about?" the demon asked.

"The culprit is Beyond Birthday. I think you lose," Raito smirked as he finally found the strength to free himself from the weight the other man had on his back.

He rose to stand on his feet as the demon moved backwards and collided with the floor. Raito turned the tables by straddling the demon's waist in return. Auburn bore right into crimson eyes that were speckled with onyx.

However, the demon chuckled loudly, seemingly at nothing. Raito's eyes narrowed, confused at the action.

"Do you really think that? Due to our little bet, you have given me the right to arrest you, Kira. Isn't that what you wanted?" the demon's smirk grew as the onyx completely disappeared from his eyes.

"What!? You don't have proof!" he yelled in anxiety.

"Do you really think a judge would listen to words of some boy over L's?"

"L wouldn't do that!"

"No…but…"

* * *

On February 28, 2004, Kira was to be privately executed in some secret location in the United States. The world leaders along with representatives from the ICPO were to be present, while anyone from the media were prohibited for various reasons of concern.

Raito Yagami lay strapped down onto a padded table, the restraints prevented any movements even the slight turning of a head. The walls were a plain white color and on one side of the room was a one way mirror. It looked from a tiny room with medical equipment into where Raito laid.

On the opposite side was a two way mirror, Raito saw the room filled with empty folding chairs.

The IV in his arm went back to the closet-like room and Raito had no doubt about what lay ahead of him. This was no mere nightmare, it was the harsh reality.

"It will be a while before the guests arrive," commented one of the guards in the room to Raito.

"Well, I'm in no hurry," he replied in a light tone, the guard chuckled in amusement. Raito's attention moved to the door as someone opened it to walk through. It was none other than the demon. Crimson eyes locked with his own.

The tips of his fingers traced the edge of Raito's face, whom shivered at the contact.

"I came here to say goodbye," the demon spoke smoothly, the bold fingers now glossing over the younger man's lips.

"Are you satisfied?" Raito asked, his raging anger barely masked in his voice. The demon closed its eyes as if contemplating the question.

"Yes," it breathed out and opened its eyes, where the onyx was struggling with crimson for dominance.

"You're not L," Raito boldly stated.

"So you knew? Well, that doesn't matter anymore…"

"Who are you?" he demanded, seeking the truth out of a string of lies.

"You can call me Ryuzaki," a demonic grin appeared on his face as onyx was completely overcome by crimson. After leaning forwards and laying a harsh kiss on Raito's lips, the demon turned around and left the younger man, whose eyes had widened in shock, behind in his death chamber.

* * *

Raito's jaw slackened its tight composure when the words, "_Happy Birthday_" were morbidly whispered into his ear after the bittersweet kiss. His resigned eyes followed the back of the demon as it left the room.

When the demon disappeared from his sight, Raito let out a loud sigh and shut his eyes, to help ease into the eternal darkness that lay ahead.

In the moment that he given up the hope of rescue from his miserable fate, the persona known as Kira fled from its blood stained throne inside of Raito's mind and the one called Raito came forward as its sacrifice.

The world leaders and Interpol would not soon forget the human cries that echoed through the death chamber that day…nor the powerful rainstorm that followed.

* * *

_**The End**_

* * *

**Authoress' Notes**:

Sorry for a short chapter but I am halfway through the epilogue and it may be my longest chapter yet.

Also, I have a poll on my profile about what I should write next. Please vote, I appreciate the feedback!

As always, I want to thank those that take their time to read and/or review my fanfic. It is much appreciated!

Next time in the epilogue of Contusa Persona, what happened to L? Is death really the end or is there more to this story to tell?


	11. Post Mortem

**Disclaimer**: Otaku-Sage-of-Llamas does not claim to own Death Note and its characters. Rather that privilege belongs to Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata. Also, the concept of Room 101 is not mine but rather borrowed from 1984 by George Orwell.

**Warnings**: There is AUness, OCCness, clichés, mild cursing, and yaoi. Also, beware of spoilers (for the anime/manga AND the Another Note novel) and the authoress' sad attempt at writing. There are spoilers for L's real name in this chapter if you do not already know by now.

**Genre**: Drama/Romance and a tad bit of Humor

**Pairings**: Raito x L

**Rating**: M

* * *

**Contusa Persona**

**by Otaku-Sage-of-Llamas**

* * *

_Epilogue_

**- Post Mortem -**

No one understood why L, the world's greatest detective, was not present at Kira's execution. After all, none of this would have happened hadn't it been for L…or maybe that was the problem.

Leaving the boy to his death, the demon casually took a stroll across the sidewalks of a nearby town, the name of it wasn't a concern of the demon. The other pedestrians seemed to avoid walking near the monstrosity as it would often go into violent convulsions of the body, as if it was having a seizure.

Also, it was peculiar as the demon seemed to be talking to itself. The pedestrians thought it might be bipolar while others feared that it was a person possessed by some daemon.

"I won't forgive you for what you have done," said the first personality.

"Really, I don't see you trying to stop me," replied the second as they approached a bridge.

"Haven't you done enough? You took everything away from me!" the first screamed out in agony.

"Poor little Lawliet, no one loves him," the second taunted.

"Shut up! I have had enough!" he yelled with all the air in his lungs and onyx finally became victorious over crimson. Suddenly, the bipolar man stood on top of the edge of the bridge, looking down into the water that lay underneath.

"Forgive me…" he whispered as tears streamed down his face. The man took one step forward and fell, his arms reaching out before him towards the water.

But it wasn't an effort to swim…No, the man was embracing his watery grave.

* * *

"_The human who uses this note can go neither to Heaven nor to Hell"_

_- Death Note Volume 1_

* * *

It was an indescribable feeling, difficult to put into words. He wasn't alive but yet he had some sense of consciousness.

His new surroundings were nothing like the Earth that he knew. The ground was bare of any vegetative life, simply a bland grey color similar to that of the moon's surface minus all the craters.

There was no beautiful blue sky with a sun illuminating the scenery that humans typically took for granted. No, it was darkness and the only reason Raito could see the ground was from a starlight glow emitting from it.

Maybe this was Mu…a rather bleak place to be. A twisted and pointless existence.

Raito fell to his knees when he felt a sharp pain somewhere inside of his being.

"Ah!" he screamed, his eyes being forced shut from the pain.

When he finally reopened his eyes, Raito found himself inside the body of Kurou Otoharada, his first victim as Kira. He took in the scenery, the faces of terrified children inside of the fateful nursery school. However, he could not control the actions of his new host.

He was helpless…and in five minutes, the past repeated itself, and Raito experienced the same heart attack as Otoharada had.

Then he floated back into unconsciousness until he was in the body of Takuo Shibuimaru only to experience the collision with the truck…

The cycle continued…he relived the dying moments of everyone that he killed with the Death Note and he couldn't do anything to stop it.

When the whole ordeal was finally over, he was brought back to Mu only to be surprised when a creature approached him from behind and placed a blindfold over his eyes leading him to some unknown location.

Once his eyes were freed from the visual restraint, Raito realized that he was in a 5 by 5 foot room. The walls were made of concrete and the ground consisted solely of dirt. Nowhere in the room could he spot a door, stirring a well of panic within him. He was sitting upon a steel chair that was attached firmly to the ground so he couldn't knock it over with his body weight and his arms were chained to the sides.

"Welcome to Room 101, Kira," a human sounding voice finally spoke. Raito turned his head and saw the figure of Beyond Birthday smirking at him. Mocking Kira by putting on the appearance of L.

"What is it that you fear?" he whispered at his ear by leaning towards Raito's back, resting his head on his shoulder. However, despite how intimidating the demon was, something was not the same.

Maybe those crimson eyes…that currently appeared to be a dull red color. Normally, they shined with a malicious glint.

Those pale hands ghosted over his skin tauntingly, trying to arouse some emotion from Raito. But he refused to give in this time, he bit down on his lip to remain silent.

The demon was not amused and hit the back of his head with a closed fist, which oddly hurt for being a dead person.

"Submit!" he screamed but Raito resisted.

"I will not…because you are a mere illusion!" Raito shouted and all the suddenly Room 101 along with the demon disappeared. And he was left standing in a courtroom and above him on an elevated platform, so high that he had to look up and tilt his head upwards, were about ten people donned in black robes with their faces hidden by shadows.

"I am impressed that you endured the Duovultus trial. Not many lost souls do…most of them lose whatever is left of their consciousness," the one robed man spoke, whom appeared to be the leader of the group.

"However, it is required that you spend eternity in Mu for that is the fate of one who uses the Death Note," a female voice mentioned.

"Yes but…Raito Yagami you will find that you are not alone," the man concluded and darkness swept across his eyes once again.

* * *

Back in Mu, Raito was left puzzled by the mysterious man's last words. How could anyone else be in such a miserable place? There was no one in sight for miles…

Forty five minutes, or at least it seemed to be, went by and Raito noticed that the terrain started changed a bit. There were some rocks and bare trees that appeared to be long dead.

He was surprised to find a figure of a human sitting upon one of the bigger rocks and his jaw dropped when he recognized the figure as L.

"Ryuzaki," Raito called out and the former detective turned his head.

"Don't call me that. It's not my name," he replied and Raito could see the exhaustion in his onyx eyes.

"What shall I call you then?" he asked, attempting to overcome the awkward atmosphere.

"Lawliet."

"Isn't that French?" L nodded as Raito took a seat beside him on the rock, looking out into nothingness.

"What happened to you?" he spoke boldly but he wanted some answers.

"One day, Beyond Birthday approached me with a little bet," Raito shivered at the utterance of the last word. "And I lost…then he disappeared and I found that my memory started becoming unreliable."

"Then, it took your own death for me to put together what was happening to my body…He had somehow taken over, leaving me at his mercy."

"But you weren't acting strange when I first met you," Raito commented.

"I think it was when Watari died that he started taking over…" he cried into his hands, "You saw what he did! I can't forgive myself!"

"…why are you here anyways?" Raito nervously tried to change the topic.

"Did you ever wonder what happened to Rem's Death Note?" Raito's eyes widened as everything started to fit together.

"But that wasn't even the worst of it, Raito-kun…No, I had to experience the deaths of his victims, including yours even though it wasn't caused by the Death Note."

"What? The same happened to me…but for it was those that I killed as Kira."

"Yes, I assume that anyone who used the Death Note would each go through a different, yet similar, version of the Duovultus trial…before they are returned here for eternity."

"But why isn't anyone else here? There were other people that used the Death Note before and after me," Raito reasoned.

"The Duovultus trial is intended to break the soul. Completely annihilate by drowning it in its own weapon of pain and worst fears…but we overcame that obstacle, a feat that had not been accomplished before."

"Oh," Raito let out in reply. Soon, L started crying again and Raito decided he couldn't take it anymore, trying to comfort the other man by hugging him.

"It's alright, Lawliet. I will be your light," Raito said softly, gently kissing the tears away from his cheek.

They had the rest of eternity together to get to know each other better. Then one day, the façade known as L would totally break away. There was nothing left to hide anymore…

Simply making them Raito Yagami and L Lawliet.

* * *

"_Once dead, they can never come back to life."_

_-Death Note Volume 12_

* * *

**Authoress' Notes**:

Well, it's finally over. My precious 89 handwritten pages of Contusa Persona.

I still left some questions unanswered _(don't worry my dear anon. reviewer, I will answer yours shortly)_ like, what was Beyond Birthday's motivation for doing this? However, like Obata and Ohba, I want to leave such questions to the reader's interpretation.

I sincerely hoped that you enjoyed reading Contusa Persona. Also, I want to thank you for taking your precious time reading and/or reviewing. Personally, I had fun writing it even though for a month I was struggling to work on this, physically and emotionally.

As for some questions that need to be answered…but first I must say that I am floored by your words, anon. I never received such a great compliment about my writing before!

Looking back, I never intended the major focus of this fanfic to be upon romance. However, I knew that my epilogue would have some twisted form of a relationship between Raito and L in order to create a true ending to this fanfic that would leave a bittersweet flavor behind. Did what I just say make any sense? O.o

* * *

**Translations of the Title and Chapters:**  
_(note: all Latin translations were done by me and not by some online translator)_

Contusa Persona – A Broken Mask

Intentio – Tension  
Opacum Latus – A Darkened Side  
Reditus Potens – A Powerful Return  
Deprehendentur – Surprised  
Praeteritum Tempus Fodietur – Digging up the Past  
Primus Motus – First Move  
Hosepes – A Guest  
Promovens – Moving Forward  
Certamen Superatur – A Struggle to Overcome  
Finis – The End  
Post Mortem – After Death


End file.
